Sweet Melody
by Lizzy Rebel
Summary: [oneshot, semifluff] Lacus wanders the Archangel’s halls again where she runs into someone, but this time it’s not Kira


**Title: **Sweet Melody

**Author: **Lizzy Rebel

**Chapter: **one-shot

**Disclaimer:**

**Keywords:** Sai, Lacus, wandering

**Pairings:** very slight Sai/Lacus, implied Sai/Frey

**Rating:** PG because… I said so…

**Genre(s):** General/Romance

**Teaser:** Lacus wanders the Archangel's halls (again) where she runs into someone, but this time it's not Kira [one-shot, semi-fluff]

**Feedback:** always welcomed

**Timeline: **In between Episode nine and ten

**Author's Notes: **Most of the notes are at the bottom. All I have to say here at the top is read, enjoy, and please review afterwards.

**Story Notes:** Nothing really notable. Just a one-shot meant to please both myself and you readers.

**Warnings:** none

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                        He glided himself gently down the narrow passageway of the _Archangel_, one hand gripping the metallic railing on the walls. He used it as a guide towards his goal, the large window in the center of the spaceship.

            Gracefully, his booted feet touched the hard floor below him. He balanced himself out by placing a hand on the cool glass. When he was sure he was going to stay upright, as well as not float away, he released the glass and stared out of it.

            Sai Argyle lowered his brunette head towards the glass and felt calmed by the cool feel of it against his forehead. The stars way off in the distance seemed closer than normal and they blinked at him, as if waving.

            Normally a thought like this would have made him smile, but there was too much grimness on his mind for him to do any of the sort. Instead, his lips were pressed into an ominous line of worry and grief. He did not think he would be smiling for a long time to come.

            "Oh Frey…" he sighed, thinking upon his girlfriend. She was resting now, locked in a deep sleep, most likely dreaming horrific nightmares about her father's death. She had witnessed it not more then three hours ago.

            What would happen when she awoke? Sai knew enough to know that it wouldn't be a pretty scene. He remembered the dull horror that had slid across her face, moments before it had clicked in her eyes that the fire she was seeing outside the _Archangel_'s bridge was her father's ship being blown up. Even then it seemed like she could barely comprehend, she had struggled against the truth, denying it with every breath, before completely fainting.

            Would she ever recover? Frey's father had been the most important thing to her. He had doted on her ever since her mother had died. She had always grown up in his protective embrace, always trying to please him, doing what he wanted without question, basking in his love. Now it was ripped from her, and she would hate it.

            There was nothing they—he, Miriallia, and Kazui—could do now, he knew. They had to wait until Frey awoke. They had to see how she would react before they could start to soothe her. Frey would, no doubt, need a lot of soothing in order to survive the next few weeks emotionally intact.

            He sighed, wishing there was something more he could so. He wished he could fight like Kira and Major La Fraga. Then maybe he wouldn't feel so helpless. If he could defend this ship, and the people on this ship, maybe then he would feel he had done all he could to protect Frey's father. But he was just a lowly operator on the _Archangel_ and he doubted anyone would ever need him.

            Suddenly, he became aware of footfalls on the metal floor. He looked up, thinking it would to be Kira. The young pilot was known for his restless wonderings on the ship, and he had looked so haunted when he had seen Frey in Sai's arms that he didn't doubt Kira would not be sleeping tonight.

            But he did not see the young man. Instead a young woman approached. Pink hair cascaded down her back and her dark blue eyes were soft and warm. Just behind her floated her pink machine—he thought its name was Haro—who's vocabulary seemed to center on 'hello' and other polite greetings.

            Lacus Clyne landed gracefully in front of him, the deep purple of her skirt ruffling around her as she balanced herself out. "Why hello," she greeted easily, the smile that curved her pretty pink lips genuine and true.

            "Hello, hello!" Haro mimicked its mistress.

            "Ah…" Sai had never truly known what to say to her. She was Lacus Clyne, a princess in every sense, and too innocent in his mind to be either a Coordinator or the daughter of PLANT's Supreme Council chairman. But she was _and_ she was a hostage on this vessel. "I thought you weren't you supposed to leave your room."

            The pink-haired princess huffed, but good naturedly. "Everyone is saying that," she told him, reaching for Haro as it floated in front of her, "but no one seems to understand that I do not like sitting in one place all the time… and neither does Haro. He just hates it!"  
            "Ah… well…" he faltered on his words, pushing at his orange tinted glass on the bridge of his nose. "Yes, I can understand that. I don't like staying in one place very much either, but, Miss Clyne, you are a… ah… a _detainee_ on the ship so you shouldn't be walking around like this."

            "You should call me Lacus," she smiled, handing him Haro. "Haro likes you. That means that you are not a bad man like some people."

            He eyed the tiny pink thing fidgeting in his hands, repeatedly saying hello, and raised a brow. "This thing has emotions? It's just a machine," he knew his voice sounded incredulous and it made him hope that he hadn't hurt her feelings too badly.

            Lacus for her part didn't seem too upset. She cupped his hands, which still held Haro, and looked at him with knowing eyes and said in an elegant voice, "Just because Haro is a machine does not mean he does not sense things. Haro is a good friend, machine or not, and I trust his judgment. Haro does not lie."

            Sai released Haro and watched as the tiny machine hovered in the air, a smile covering his lips. "I suppose… it is cute…"

            The pink-haired princess—as Major La Fraga often referred to her as—chuckled softly and cupped Haro against her breast. "You remind me of Asuran." With Haro bleeping against her arms, Lacus floated around him, smile still in place.

            "Ah…" her gaze was starting to make him feel uncomfortable, it was as if she could see into his soul. "Why are you here? I mean, not here on the _Archangel_, I know that, but where I am? Your room is pretty far away, isn't it?"

            The princess ceased her circling, much to Sai's relief, and landed softly besides him; one of her hands reached out to grip his shoulder for balance. "Haro and I were just going to look for Mr. Yamato because I was so very hungry, but then I saw you coming this way. You looked so… so sad…"

            "Oh…" that brought him back to his earlier brooding. Sai turned away from her, looking out the window again.

            "You're sad… for that girl?" Sai blinked, startled, and turned around to face the princess. "I don't know her very well but I… I remember the look on her face when her poor father's ship was… was destroyed…"

            "Oh yes, Frey wanted to…" he trailed off, suddenly ashamed. Though he hadn't said so he didn't agree with Frey and Badgiruel's plan on using Lacus as a buffer against ZAFT. She was, by all means, a civilian and she had been taken on the ship as an act of humanity. "Listen, please don't think badly of Frey… she just… she just loves her father very much and she would do anything to see him safe…"

            "Oh I understand," Lacus agreed, surprising Sai further. "I love my father very much as well. I would do anything in my power to make sure that he wasn't harmed. I can understand that girl's pain." The young woman tilted her head at Sai and said in a thoughtful tone, "Will she be alright?"

            "I do not know… it's too early to tell. She's been asleep since the ships were gunned down," he broke off abruptly and silence claimed the air for a long while. Sai looked away from her again, but he could see her understand blue eyes through the glass of the window. Finally he asked, feeling a desperate urge to change the subject, "You came out of your room because you're hungry, right?"

            If she was surprised by the sudden subject change, Lacus did not show it. "Why yes. That is the first reason Haro and I came out of our rooms."

            "Well, then I'll get you some food and then I'll show you back to your room." He floated away, a part of him demanding he put space between himself and the princess. Sai couldn't seem to disobey.

            Lacus followed quietly besides him, humming softly in her melodic voice to Haro. The music was, of course, lost on Haro since the tiny machine had no way to comprehend the music coming from the pale throat just above it.

            Sai gathered what little food he could find in the cafeteria and watched silently as Lacus nibbled on it in tiny little bits, Haro bleeping besides her. She was finished only minutes after sitting down to eat, but then the portions of food he had given her weren't much. He suddenly felt shamed.

            "Well then, thank you for the lovely meal Mr. Argyle. I appreciate your kindness… I was so terrible hungry." Lacus smiled and stood, smoothing out the wrinkles on her dress. "I suppose Haro and I will have to return to our room?"

            "Ah… Lacus… it's Sai… you can call me Sai," it felt awkward and clumsy of him to speak her name, it made his tongue feel heavy. "I'll… I'll take you back to your room… as an escort. In case someone stops you, that way you won't be in much trouble." For some reason he just wanted to be around her a little more. The kind of innocence that shone in her eyes was rare; he wanted to memorize it.

            "Why thank you, Sai." Lacus came closer to him and held out her hand in an elegant manner, her face titled to the side and her lips parted just slightly.

            Sai stared at her hand, then at her face, then at her hand again.

            "Oh!" Then he got it. Blushing, he took her hand gently in his own. Of course! Lacus Clyne was the closet thing to a princess one could get in this day in age, so when a man offered himself as an escort she probably was used to holding hands, even if in a most un-intimate way.

            He led her down the silent hallways of the _Archangel_, the only noise the whirl and hum of the machines that keep the ship running. Lacus was uncharacteristically silent. Haro was its normal bleeping self, but in time its drone become nothing more then a dull buzzing noise outside his ears.

            They reached her room and the metallic doors slid open. Lacus landed herself just outside the threshold and smiled softly at him. "Thank you for escorting me, Sai." She bowed just slightly, her hair bouncing on her back.

            "Ah… it was no problem… no at all… really, don't mention it." Blushing again, he waved his hands franticly in front of his face, laughing nervously. Haro jumped in front of him, screaming _hello, hello, hello_.

            Lacus chuckled, raising a delicate hand to her rosy lips, and ushering Haro into the room, "Sai? Would you… like to stay with me… for a while? I do not like to be alone often… and I do not think that you do much, either."

            What surprised him was that 'yes' was coming from his lips before he even thought about it. It would be nice, he supposed, to spend time with Lacus Clyne. Perhaps she would sing a sweet song to him, make him forget that just outside the ship there was a war going on and that people were dying, people like Frey's father.

            "I actually… should be getting back to Frey… in case she wakes up, you know? Thanks for the offer though. I would have liked to…" he trailed off hopelessly, hoping Lacus believed him, wondering why it was so imperative that she did.

            "Yes, of course. She will need everyone's love and care if she is to cope." There was only mild sadness in her voice, but Sai had the sudden impression that Lacus didn't often sound anything but happy. He knew that her eyes would rarely do anything but sparkle with life and innocence. Was it because she was a Coordinator? Where her eyes made to always shine like that? Her voice to always be cheery?

            But all coherent thoughts left him when Lacus floated over to him, her hands pressing softly against the top of his chest to balance herself. His eyes widened as she leaned in and pressed a kiss to his check.

            It was a simple kiss, though it couldn't be called a peck and completely chaste. The minute her lips grazed the skin on his cheek an electric zip charged him, one that left him paralyzed. Her breath was hot and smelled sweetly as she drew herself from his face to smile at him.

            Then she was moving towards the door of her room, innocent smile still in place. "Thank you for everything, Sai," she said as she slipped into her room. "I hope we'll be able to see each other again…."

            Sai stared at the closed door for a long moment before a smile curved his lips. In the back of his mind a part of him mused calmly that he should probably feel bad about that electric charge—he _was_ dating Fllay—but another part of him, a much bigger part, had enjoyed the zing to much to care.

            Still smiling, he floated away from the princess's door.

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                        **Author's Notes: **Okay, pointless? Yes. Useless? Most likely. Fun to write? You bet! See, I love Lacus's character. I just don't like Kira and Lacus paired together. In my mind, I think they're both to soft hearted and noble to ever really fit together. Too much alike. It makes a relationship boring in my mind… and trust me I have a lot of experience in that department.

            I also like Sai a lot, but again just not with Frey. Sai's a nice guy and all but I don't think there was any love in him when it comes to Frey. I think he puts up with her because he feels it's his obligation. That's most likely the only reason he started to date her in the first place, because of what his parents wanted him to do.

            And before anyone starts asking (as if you care) I kinda do support Lacus/Sai now. Just kinda. It started in a freaky conversation about GS and it's been stuck in my head ever since. Plus, I just don't think Sai would outright help Lacus when he didn't know her well. It would make more sense if he got to know Lacus and realized she wasn't an evil person. I didn't want to lay on the L/S pairing to heavily on you so I made the fluff light.

            Let me know what you think of it, k?

_"The only way to make your PC run faster is to throw it out a window."_

-Lizzy Rebel


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